Frigid temperatures continue across the Carolinas

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Carolinas will see another day of frigid temperatures as a winter storm that brought snow to some part of our region moves out of the area.

Temperatures dipped into the mid-20s overnight into Sunday morning from the mountains to Charlotte. These temperatures resulted in black ice being a major hazard on secondary roads where melted snow and puddles refroze.

"The mountains and foothills will be at the highest risk of black ice," said meteorologist Sarah Fortner. "A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect for most of the area north of Mecklenburg County."

As for Sunday's Panthers games, the First Warm Storm Team advised fans to bundle up.

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"It's going to be cold, temperatures in the upper 30s, just really cold," Chief Meteorologist Brad Panovich said. "Good news, we'll have plenty of sunshine, but temperatures won't get out of the low 40s by kickoff."

Meteorologist John Wendel encouraged fans to be extra cheerful as getting up and moving around will be in their best interest in staying warm at the game.

The storm had a major impact Friday, bringing heavy snow to western North Carolina, with a heavy mix of rain, sleet and snow falling in the Piedmont throughout the evening.

As the system moved east, the I-40 corridor and North Carolina mountains were placed under a Winter Storm Warning Friday afternoon. Highlands, N.C. in Macon County recorded the highest snowfall with a total of 15 inches by Friday night.

The same weather system brought significant amounts of snow to southern Texas, Louisiana, and Georgia late Thursday into Friday.

While most areas north and west of Charlotte saw plenty of snow with the system, the Queen City and its southern neighbors experienced mostly rain. Chief Meteorologist Brad Panovich pointed to the elevation changes along I-85 as a contributing factor in the discrepancy, particularly along the rain/snow line of I-85.

"The heaviest moisture, we used up all the moisture with a cold, miserable rain in some locations," Panovich said. "In Charlotte, we occasionally saw snowflakes mixing in, but the temperatures were hovering in the mid-30s, so a lot of it was melting on the way down."

North Carolina snow totals:

Boone: 6.5 inches

Sugar Mountain: 6 inches

Blowing Rock: 5.5 inches

Lenoir: 4.1 inches

Lincolnton: 2 inches

Mooresville: 1.3 inches

Charlotte: Trace

Ski slopes, including Appalachian Ski Mountain, are looking forward to an influx of skiers, snowboarders and sledders.

"Nobody's been out on the slopes since March," Brad Moretz, App Ski Mountain's general manager, said. "I think a lot of people are looking forward to having a fun out on the hill."

Boone Police Lieutenant Danny Houck expects a good amount of holiday traffic after the snowflakes fall this weekend.

He urged drivers to not make two common mistakes others make while driving.